Wyser-Pratte & Co had its origins in Paris in 1929, when Guy Wyser-Pratte’s father, Eugene, opened its first office, specializing in international arbitrage.  The firm was re-opened on Wall Street in 1948, and was eventually merged into what was then Bache & Company in July 1967 where GWP and his father presided over Bache & Company’s risk arbitrage activities.  In January 1971, GWP was selected to head the Arbitrage Department at Bache & Company where he presided until January 1991. In February of that year, he resurrected the family firm Wyser-Pratte & Co.

He has authored two monographs for the New York University Salomon Brothers Center:  Risk Arbitrage and Risk Arbitrage II, which are considered to be the standard textbooks in the industry.

Mr. Wyser-Pratte became a driving force in the shareholder activist movement in the 1970’s.  He has maintained, throughout his 40 year career, a singular dedication to the basic tenets of shareholder rights and the need for managers to play a more active role in their investments.  In the past 15 years, Mr. Wyser-Pratte has completed over 70 activist projects in 10 jurisdictions globally.  Notable examples in France include Taittinger S.A., Vivarte S.A., Strafor Facom S.A., and most recently Valeo, S.A.  In Germany, recent examples include Vossloh AG, Kuka AG, Balda AG and CeWe Color Holding AG.